


Healing

by elusiverose



Category: Victorious (TV)
Genre: F/F, Girls Love, Hurt/Comfort, Jori - Freeform, POV First Person
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-04
Updated: 2019-02-02
Packaged: 2019-08-17 17:01:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16520426
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elusiverose/pseuds/elusiverose
Summary: Jade needs healing. And, like it or not, Tori will try to heal her wounds. But Jade would never admit how much she needs Tori by her side. Would she?





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i can't believe i'm writing about victorious in 2018, but here i am back in the fandom mostly the jori one i love them too much for my own good  
> important note: notice i'm not a native english speaker so this may have some mistakes, correcting me is okay and quite welcome, i want to learn and improve my writing  
> hope you like it!  
> disclaimer: i don't own victorious

**Tori's pov**

 

Beck and Jade broke up. For real. Jade just drove away from my house, leaving Beck in front of it's door.

 

“Let's play some cards.” He said without changing his serious expression. I took a look at the door before concentrating in playing cards. Jade was definitely gone. I felt a weight in my chest, but didn't pay much attention to it. Cat, Andre, Robbie, Trina and I didn't say a word about it. Honestly, I knew this was going to happen sooner or later. It was getting late and Andre offered to drive Cat, Robbie and Beck to their houses, but before they left mine, I grabbed Beck's arm.

 

“Hey Beck… are you okay?”

 

_Stupid question, Tori. You're doing amazing._

 

“It's fine, really. I'll get over this. And Jade will too.”

 

“If you need to talk about whatever, I'm here. I want all of us to be friends.”

 

“I know. Thank you, Tori. You're so kind.” He gave me a little smile and was about to leave when I grabbed his arm again.

 

“Wait. This may sound weird but… can I have Jade's number? I want to make sure she's okay.”

 

“Are you sure? You know the way she treats you.”

 

“I know. But I'm used to it, I guess.” I answered, gaving a deep sight.

 

“Fine then. See you tomorrow.” Beck gave me Jade's number and finallty left my house. Trina was behind me giving him sexy – if it could be called sexy – winks until he was gone.

 

Once alone in my room, I breathed deeply and called Jade. I already made up my mind about what was she going to tell me, she was probably going to be a bitch, like always. But I really wanted to know if she was okay. No answer. I tried again. And again. And again. Finally, I heard her voice on the phone.

 

“Who are you?” Her voice was sharp and cold.

 

“I'm Tori. Can we talk for a moment?”

 

“No.”

 

“Jade! Please, I just want to know if you're okay.”

 

“And what do you think? I though you were more intelligent, Vega.”

 

“Okay, I admit that wasn't the best I could have said. But seriously, I'm worried about you. Do you need to talk?” I heard silence.

 

_Okay Tori, prepare yourself for either another rude comment or Jade finishing the call._

 

“Are they still at your house?” She asked after a long silence.

 

“No, they're not. Why do you…?”

 

“Can I come over?” Now it was my turn to stay silent. I didn't expect that question at all.

 

“Vega?”

 

“Uh? Ah! Y-yes, sure.”

 

“On my way.”

 

“Wait! Jad--” But she had already finished the call.

 

I layed on my bed, thinking about what just happened. Jade was coming to my house. Because she wanted to. I knew she was probably going to ask me again if I could talk to Beck like she did last time they split, but now their break up seemed definite. I felt bad for thinking like this, but it was a relief for the ones around them. They were fighting all day long. In class, during luch time, when we were hanging out together… we were all tired of it. They didn't seem happy. They weren't happy. I wanted us to be friends, and I know Beck did too, but with Jade it was going to be way more complicated. I heard someone knocking at the door before I could think about anything else. _That must be Jade._ I went down, but Trina opened before I could.

 

“What are you doing here again?” She asked, eyes narrowed.

 

“As if you care.” Jade answered coldly and entered in.

 

“Hey! You can't enter in my house whenever you want!”

 

“Watch me.”

 

“Trina, you better shut up before she kills you.” I said puting a hand on my sister's shoulder. Luckily, she went to her room and left Jade and I alone. She sat on the couch, and I did the same. She was silent, avoiding looking at me. She looked so… fragile. Like if she was about to break.

 

“Jade…” I started, quietly.

 

“I don't want you to talk to Beck. We're done forever.”

 

“Are you sure?”

 

“I'm sure.”

 

“Then why did you come here?”

 

“I don't know. I just felt like it.”

 

“Oh, fine, I guess.” She stayed silent again. I suddenly wanted to hug her and tell her everything was going to be fine, but I didn't want to push her. Her eyes were dry, but her expression was something between dissapointed and extremely sad. I've seen her that vulnerable before, when Beck and her broke up the first time and Jade came to my house in tears, begging me to talk with him. But now she was quiet and showing me her broken side. The silence was starting to become quite heavy, so preparing myself mentally for a possible rude comment, I opened my arms and showed her a bright smile.

 

“Hug?” Jade looked at me without changing her expression, and after of what it looked like a moment of hesitation, she hugged me and melted in my arms. I noticed her face against my neck, and her eyes were getting wet. I didn't say anything, just waited until she felt secure enough around me to start crying.

 

I understood without words, Jade didn't need to talk now, she just needed someone to stay by her side, someone to go to now Beck was gone. And she decided to chose me among the others. I'm not saying the others were worse friends or bad at this things, she just didn't trust – if that's the right word to use in my case – them enough to show them this sensitive and vulneralble side of her. I felt glad but weird at the same time, because since I started my life in Hollywood Arts, I've been trying to become her friend. But she didn't open up. She treated me the worst possible way. However, I still wanted to be her friend. Sometimes I even asked myself why.

 

“I don't understand.” Jade said, still with her face in my chest.

 

“What?”

 

“Why are you so kind to me? I don't deserve this. I've been a total gank to you, and you're still here sticking up for me.”

 

“Because we're friends, no matter how many times you try to deny it. And I care about you.”

 

“You're so stubborn, Vega.”

 

“I am.” Jade finally pulled away. Her eyes were still a bit wet, but she had a little smile on her face.

 

“Thanks.” Her voice was soft, and I felt my heart melting in my chest.

 

“It's okay. I'm here for you.” A crazy idea came to my mind. “Do you want to…?”

 

“Can I stay for the night?” Jade said before I could end my question.

 

“Sure. I was about to ask you that.” I honestly couldn't believe what I was hearing. Jade herself wanted to stay at my house, with me. We both went to my room, and Jade layed on my bed gaving a deep sigh. I opened my closet looking for pajamas, one for me and one for Jade. The latter was a hard thing to find since the majority of my clothes were of bright colors. After a few moments of searching through my own closet, I found one which was dark blue. This one should be fine. I gave it to Jade and noticed a slight smirk on her face. I looked at her, raising an eyebrow.

 

“Glad you took into account my way of dressing.”

 

“Well, I don't think you'd like to sleep wearing my pink fluffy pajamas.”

 

“I'd rather sleep naked in the middle of the street.” I laughed. The sudden image of a naked Jade came to my mind, and my cheeks went visibly red. Luckily, I was facing my closet, so Jade didn't notice.

 

_What the heck are you thinking, Tori._

 

After choosing the pajamas for me, I turned around and my eyes met a half naked Jade. Had my imagination gone too far? I shaked my head. She was just undressing to put on the pajamas I just gave her, but unfortunately for me, my cheeks went redder. And this time, Jade caught me.

 

“Are you done starting?” She said with a little smirk.

 

“I wasn't staring!” I knew it wasn't true, but I had no time to think of a better excuse.

 

“I wasn't staring!” She mocked me.

 

“I don't talk like that!” I answered and start undressing myself staring at the wall. I didn't expect Jade to take off her clothes that fast and without hesitation. Guess she's not as timid as me when it comes to show her body. I put on my pajamas and turned around once again, and my eyes found Jade laying on my bed, looking at her phone.

 

“Uh… Jade.”

 

“Tell me.”

 

“Are you comfortable with the idea of sleeping in the same bed as me?”

 

“Let's say the idea doesn't seem gross to me.” I smiled and lyed down in my bed next to her. Honestly I had never noticed how beautiful Jade is. Her green eyes were looking at her phone, and her expression wasn't showing happiness nor sadness, but it was relaxed enough to make me feel relieved. We were both silent until I heard her groaning slightly.

 

“Is everything okay?”

 

“Beck texted me.” No more words were needed for me to know it definitely wasn't okay.

 

“And what does he want?”

 

“If I'm doing okay. Who does he think he is?”

 

“He's worried about you. Don't answer him if you don't want to, but don't be ungrateful.”

 

“Fine. I won't text him back then.” She got angry and threw away her phone. Beck, I really like you, but why did you think texting Jade now was a good idea?

 

We were both silent for a few moments, and I thought this was the end of our conversation tonight. I didn't want to push her, so I faced Jade's back and closed my eyes. She was so close to me I noticed she was shaking. And it hurt. I hated seeing Jade like that, but what could I do? She was mad now, and either saying something or touching her was risky. Surprisingly, I wasn't the one who broke the ice.

 

“Vega.” Jade said, softer – but with a bit dangerous tone – than a few minutes before.

 

“Yes?”

 

“Don't tell anybody about this.”

 

“About what?”

 

“Me being like this. Or something really bad might happen to you.” But there was no malice in her voice.

 

“I won't.”

 

“I'm serious.”

 

“Me too. I won't tell anybody. Don't you trust me?”

 

“Guess I sometimes do.” I laughed and, with little hesitation, put one of my arms around her hips. I was mentally prepared for a rude Jade screaming at me for touching her without her permission, but she didn't talk nor move.

 

“Goonight.” I said, trying not to sound – it probably didn't work – too much relieved.

 

She didn't answer, but I felt her whole body relaxing against mine. I smiled for myself, and fall asleep. Jade West needed _healing_ , and I was more than willing to give her as much as she wanted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please leave kudos and comments if you liked it and want me to continue!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey everyone, time to continue with this! thank you so much for all the comments and kudos, i'm really glad you enjoyed it! i know i uploaded the first chapter like a month ago, but i'm really busy and right now i don't have time to be very constant, but i'll try to upload this story as soon as i can! this chapter is from Jade's point of view, and i have to admit she's quite hard to write, but i did it as good as i could  
> again, let me know if you liked this by leaving comments or kudos, and if you see any error in my english please correct me, thank you everyone!

**Jade's pov**

 

The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was the messy brown hair of a sleeping Tori Vega. So it really happened. I went to Tori's house, and she let me in without thinking about it twice. And I did too, in a more emotional way. I'm not even sure why did I came here. It's a fact I hated being alone, no matter how hard I tried to deny it. It was like an instinct going to Tori when Beck wasn't there, I knew she would listen to me and try to make me feel better, forgetting the gank I have been to her the year before. It's not like I didn't trust the others – well it is –, they were my friends and I kind of appreciate them, but they weren't… Tori. Just that. I decided to stop thinking about that since Tori slowly opened her eyes, and when she saw me, a silly smile appeared on her face.

 

_How can someone be that dumb._

 

“Morning.” She said, her smile getting wider.

 

“Morning.”

 

“Are you feeling better? Did you sleep well?”

 

“Yeah, sure.”

 

“Sure?”

 

“Vega, stop. I'm fine.”

 

“We're seeing Beck today…” I looked at her when she mentioned him and my body tensed, but there were no bad intentions in the way she said it. She sounded quite worried in fact. Stupid Vega, always being so nice to everyone.

 

“It's okay, I'll have to face this sooner or later.”

 

“But this is too soon, you broke up last night!”

 

“Why are you so worried about it? I was the one who ended the relationship.”

 

“Because you still look so hurt.” I felt something in my chest at her words. But she was right, this was horribly painful. I wanted to cry with only thinking about Beck's face.

 

“Fine, I won't say I'm a hundred percent okay, but I can handle this today.” But it wasn't true.

 

“If you say so, I trust you. But have this in your mind: I'm here.”

 

No more words were needed to clarify what she just said. She was there for me, supporting me and cheering me up whenever I needed it. It felt... good.

 

“Get up, or we'll be late for class.”

 

“True!” Tori got up as fast as she could, grabbed her clothes and went to the bathroom. A minute later, I heard the shower. I opened Tori's closet and looked for something I could wear without ruining my reputation. I found a pair of blue jeans and a purple blouse. Honestly, I didn't want to go to school. I though of skipping class several times, it would be fine if it was only once in a while. Well, being honest, me skipping class wasn't only once in a while.

 

“Jade!” Tori stepped in the room, with her hair still wet. “Hurry up and have a shower before Trina gets i-- hey, my clothes!”

 

“Ah yes, I'll use them if you don't mind. I don't care if you do anyway.” I said letting her see my smirk before entering in the bathroom. I showered fast and dressed with Tori's clothes. They weren't as tight as I though they would be at first. I heard Trina hitting the door just after I got ready, and her face when she saw me was one of the funniest things I had ever seen, it was something between disgust and surprise.

 

“What are you doing here? Wait, did you…? Where's Tori?”

 

“Oh, I kidnapped her. You probably won't see your little sister ever again.”

 

“Jade!” Tori emerged from her room and I could see Trina's relief. Did she really think I could seriously hurt Tori?

 

“Whatever. Tori, we'll leave when I finish getting ready.” Trina said, ignoring my comment.

 

“So I assume we're going to be late.”

 

“No you won't. I'll give you a ride so you don't have to stand Trina.” I said grabbing Tori's wrist and heading us to the door, leaving Trina in front of the bathroom.

 

“Jade, wait!” Tori complaint.

 

“I'm being nice to you and you're already complaining?”

 

“No! It's not that. And I'm not complaining, thank you for giving me a ride to school, but first, I'm hungry, and second, your backpack is in your house.”

 

I was going to say something, but I though about it twice. Tori was right. “Fine. Then we'll stop in my house first, and then we'll buy coffee in the Asphalt Cafe. You're paying.”

 

“Hey!”

 

“Do you want a ride or not?”

 

“Ugh, fine.”

 

We drove to my house in total silence, and I took my backpack as fast as I could. Fortunately, no one was home now so I didn't have to explain any of my parents my absence last night. It's not like I care about what they think, I just hate when they pretend to be good parents, because they clearly weren't. My father was rarely home, and my mother usually didn't seem to remember she had a daughter. But she kept trying to be a good mother, something I really hated. Once I was again in the car, we drove to school and went to the Asphalt Cafe. I sat at our table and Tori went to order our breakfast without saying a word. I though she was upset because I made her paid for everything, but I knew Tori, and she didn't seem to be upset or angry. Just quiet. I would lie if I say I wasn't a bit worried, but I wasn't going to let her know. Tori was back with two coffees and two burritos.

 

“Black with two sugars.” She said as she gave me my coffee.

 

“Good you remembered that.” And we were both silent again. I didn't want to be the one who broke the ice, so I ate my breakfast without saying a word, and she did the same. I started to get uncomfortable, so I felt relieved when Cat and Robbie arrived at school and sat with us.

 

“Hey hey!” Said Cat with a huge smile on her face.

 

“Hey girls.” Robbie greeted just after her.

 

“Hey guys.” Tori spoke then, showing a slight smile.

 

We chatted for a bit until the bell rang, then got up and went to class. I wondered where were Andre and Beck now, because they usually arrived earlier than I did. The thought hit me then. Beck. I had to see Beck again. My body tensed at the image of my now ex-boyfriend appearing in the classroom, and I knew I wasn't ready for that. Just when we were entering the classroom, I grabbed Tori by her arm, putting one of my hands in her mouth because I knew she was going to scream, and locked us in the janitor's closet.

 

“What are you doing?” She shouted when I freed her.

 

“Oh, so now you are suddenly talking to me again? And low your voice.”

 

“What?”

 

“You've been very quiet since we left your house, Vega. What's wrong with you?”

 

“I… nothing. I'm not very talkative today, that's all.”

 

“Sure.” I said sarcastically. “Think of a better lie.”

 

“It wasn't a lie! And why did you lock us here anyway?”

 

“Because I don't want to go to class.”

 

“And what that has to do with me?”

 

“You'll skip class with me.”

 

“And why should I?”

 

“Because you said you'll be here for me.”

 

“But that's…! True.” She calmed down, anger disappearing from her face. “Fine, we'll skip class if you don't want to see Beck.” I don't know why was I even surprised. I didn't tell her the reason I wanted her to stay with me and not going to class, but she knew. It was quite obvious anyway. I told her earlier I could deal with this today, and now she knew I didn't, she understood. Stupid Vega.

 

“Good. Now tell me what happens.” Vega crossed her arms in defense, looking at me with an expression that clearly said _I'm not going to speak._

 

“Come on.” I insisted, trying not to sound desperated. But she didn't open her mouth.

 

“Fine. Then I won't let you leave this place until you tell me.” I said standing with my back against the door, blocking it.

 

“Jade!”

 

“I'm not the stubborn one here.”

 

“Ugh… fine. I'll tell you. But you have to promise you won't get mad or laught at me.”

 

“Two things. One, I don't promise, and two, even if I did, I can't say I won't laught at you.”

 

Vega gave a deep sigh, looking disappointed. “Yeah, like always. No matter what I do, or say. You always find a reason to laugh at me.”

 

“Oh my god Vega, I thought you knew me after these years.”

 

“No I don't, because you don't want me to. And when I think you do, you're back to the gank Jade West as soon as I'm getting to know you better.”

 

“That's not…! Why the fuck are you talking about this right now? I only asked what happened to you and you have to make this drama!”

 

“Because that's exactly what happens! Last night, you opened to me. You let me see your sensitive and delicate side. You cried, hugged me and shared bed with me, things you usually find gross, or at least that's what you say. And today, you're back to gank Jade again. You've done that so many times and I'm tired of this, and I really thought our friendship was improving after last night. But it isn't, and it never will. That's why I was quiet today, because I didn't want this to happen again. I was afraid of it.”

 

Her words left me speechless. Usual Jade would have laughed and tell her she was ridiculous and we would never become friends, but that day's Jade wasn't usual Jade. Vega seemed so broken, and it hurt. I didn't want her to feel like that, and I knew it was my fault. Why didn't I want her to be my friend anyway? She was so talented, her singing was gorgeous, her acting skills were excellent, she was so kind with everyone, she treasured her friends, and… she was beautiful. Those were things that usually pissed me off. People who were excessively kind and caring are the ones I found annoying, and that was what I thought when I first met Victoria Vega. But eventually, my opinion about her changed. No one knew that, not even Beck. She was a goody two shoes, yes, but she was the only one I could go to when no one was by my side, or honestly always, no matter if I had someone by my side or not. I was a total gank, but she was always trying to be my friend, and her arms were always opened for me when I needed support, and I knew I could trust her. But I really enjoyed teasing her, scaring her or even making her blush in embarrasment, because that's our dynamic – and because that's how is Jade West – after all. But I'd never hurt her on purpose. I didn't want to admit all these things even to myself, but it didn't make them any less true. But could we suddenly become friends? I didn't know, but… I knew I wanted to try it. I had been pretending I didn't like her for enough time. I saw her covering her face with her hands, and I knew she was about to cry.

 

“Tori…” I started. This was going to be hard. “Listen to me. Yes, it's true, you don't know me. Because I don't let you. And yes, I'm a gank, I'm a bitch, whatever, you're right. But…” I swalloed. “But I'd probably be in my bedroom crying uncontrollably right now if it wasn't for you. And I have to… thank you. Yes, thank you.” I saw her looking at me between her fingers. _Go on Jade._ “And well, uh, I don't promise, but… I can… try being nicer to you from now on. Don't think I'll be a sweet, happy and positive girl like Cat, or like you. I'm not saying I dislike any of you, but that's not… uh… not my thing. I won't…” I didn't finish the sentence, because Tori was hugging me tight, her arms around my neck and her face buried in my chest. “… stop teasing you, or scaring you, or acting like a gank, but I'll be a different Jade West with you. I don't know if you, uh, know what I mean.” I finished, finally breathing.

 

“I do. It's okay. I don't want you to change and become another person. I like you the way you are.” I didn't say anything and hugged her back, feeling a huge relief in my chest. We stayed like that for some minutes, until Tori pulled back. Her eyes were wet, but she didn't look sad at all. We stood there, in silence, until we heard the bell rang.

 

“How about going to class?” Tori asked with her usual smile.

 

“Beck is there.”

 

“I know. That's why I asked.”

 

I took a deep breath, putting my thougths in order.

 

“Okay, let's go.” I opened the door and went straight to class.

 

I didn't know how everything would turn out, but the moment I saw the very happy Tori Vega that was following me, I felt like all my fears and insecurities were gone, at least by that moment.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> first of all, happy 2019 everyone!  
> thank you for all kudos and comments, even if i don't answer i'm really thankful for them and i'm so glad y'all are enjoying this as much as i do writing it  
> as a side note, i've decided to upload one chapter per month, i know it seems like a lot of time but please be patient  
> last thing, enjoy this chapter! they don't interact in it as much as they do in the others, but hope you like it anyway, and like always feel free to leave kudos and comments!

**Tori's pov**

 

I don't even know why I went to Nozu with Andre and his horrible girl that night. That girl, Hope I think her name was, treated him the worst way possible. He came to my house the night of her birthday to vent and complain about everything he couldn't do or say in front of Hope, and told me she was dating her because of her father. Her father was Shawn Quincy, an important musical producer. I partly understood him, but dating someone because of that wasn't fair for her, even if she was the most obnoxious person on earth. I told him to break up with her that night, and he offered me to sing with him in front of Hope's father that night.

 

“Dump her tomorrow!” Was my response. I'm a horrible influence sometimes.

 

I wanted to invite the rest of the gang, but it seemed like everyone was busy. Beck and Robbie had plans together, Cat was dogsitting for her mother's boss, and Jade had a date, according to her slap page. I knew that was a lie – possibly to piss Beck off –, because Cat told me Jade and her were hanging out that night.

 

Jade… I still couldn't believe what happened between us that day in the janitor's closet. She told me she'd try to be nicer to me, and we hugged like real friends. I knew that would be difficult to her since she was used to make my life a living hell on purpose, but I could tell she was trying by tiny details no once but me noticed. In the week which had passed since Beck and Jade broke up, Jade offered driving me to school twice, reduced considerably her bad comments towards me, even looked at me apologetically if she thought she crossed the line.

 

She also locked us in the janitor's closet everytime she didn't feel like seeing Beck, because even though she was the one who ended their relationship, she was also hurt. I told her I couldn't skip class everytime she wanted, so we made a deal. When she didn't feel like going to class, she could skip it on her own, and that afternoon after class, she'd come over my house and spend some time with me – I liked to think I gave her at least a little comfort, but I know Jade would never admit that in case it was true –. That day was one of them, but since we were both busy, we decided to postpone it. About that night, I didn't mention anything to her about her fake date, because if I told her posting that on the slap with the purpose of making Beck jealous or whatever wasn't the best way of getting over him, she'd probably got mad, and I didn't want that. I wasn't anyone to tell her what to do anyway.

 

I was at Nozu looking for Andre, when I saw my annoying older sister being dragged out of the restaurant by the security guard. I couldn't help myself and laughed slightly at her. I saw Andre and Hope talking near the entrance, and I went near them, trying to figure out what were they saying, and I overheard things like _“Okay that's it! … I don't wanna go out with you anymore…”_ from Andre, and _“You aren't going to embarass me at my own sushi birthday party! And tonight, you're my boyfriend…”_ from Hope, who looked furious, so I decided to take part in the conversation before she murdered him.

 

“Hey, how are you doing?” I said, trying to calm down the atmosphere.

 

“Shut up.” Hope spitted, and run away from us.

 

“Did you heard what just happened? I tried to dump her.” A very amused Andre said.

 

“Yeah, you did the right thing.”

 

“And she still wants me to sing in front of her dad.”

 

Before I could answer, the security guard appeared again, grabbing an angry Trina, who gave me an imploring sight.

 

“Tori, tell this man you know me!”

 

“And you are…?” I said with a teasing smile.

 

“Nooooooo!” Trina screamed before she was kicked out of Nozu, once again.

 

Andre and I danced for a while until it was time to sing. Once on the stage, Andre gave me a mic and pick one for him.

 

“Alright, alright!” He said, trying to get the audiences attention. “This is a song for the birthday girl.” He pointed at Hope, and she gave him a not very pleasent look. Then Andre put his arm around me. “I'll be singing with my good friend here, Tori Vega.” The crowd clapped. “Happy birthday Hope.” I said smiling at her, and she sticked out her tongue. “And thank you for that reaction.”

 

“And let me say its a huge honor for us to perform in the same as Mr. Shawn Quincy, a man--”

 

“Oh just sing it!” Hope spitted. She's really unbearable. Then the music started, and we moved our bodies with it.

 

_All my atention baby, my extra time_

_There's nothing I won't give you_

_Girl if you were mine_

_Six million times I'm thinking, about your face_

_You know I'm crazy for you, let me count the ways_

 

I saw from the corner of my eye my sister again, but didn't pay much attention to it since I knew the security guard would took care of her. God, she was so stubborn. Just like me to be honest, a Vega thing.

 

_Too many girls I'm chasing, I had my falls_

_But all the time was wasting_

_Girl you know that you're the one_

 

_It's countdown to your love oh oh_

_You're my number one, girl_

_It's a countdown, falling fast oh oh_

_Don't think I'm gonna last now_

_Ooooh ooooh oooooh_

 

I think I heard Trina singing – well, trying to sing – but again, I prefered not to pay attention to it. I really liked that song. I wondered if Andre was thinking about any girl in particular when he wrote it, like the majority of the love songs he had composed, and a certain girl came to my mind while I was singing the next verses.

 

_Ten, you're beautiful_

_Nine, you're amazing_

_Eight, you're contagious_

_Everytime I look at you_

_Six, you're a star_

_Five, who you are_

_Four, three, who you wanna be_

_Don't you know that I want you two_

_You're the one, you're the one, you're the one_

 

Without noticing, I got down the stage singing and thinking about Jade. Was it weird to describe a girl using those words? I don't know, but didn't pay much attention to it. It wasn't a lie after all, Jade was all those things, and I always thought the best of my friends. A smile escaped from my lips at that thought. I was finally friends with Jade. Or well, kinda becoming friends, but that was totally fine with me.

 

_It's countdown to your love oh oh_

_You're my number one, girl_

_It's a countdown, falling fast oh oh_

_Don't think I'm gonna last now_

 

I got up the counter while I sang _you're my number one girl_ , and then went back to the stage. I'm always happy when I sing on the stage, but for some reason, I was happier today.

 

_Wait a minute_

_Wait a minute_

_Wait a minute_

_Yeah_

_Oh oh oh oh oh oh_

 

Seconds after we finished our song, the audience started clapping, and Andre and I hugged happily. Performing with him was amazing, I always enjoyed being on stage, but having my best friend with me on it made me feel a lot more comfortable. Once the audience finished clapping, the two of us went down the stage and enjoyed the party, just like everyone else. Andre didn't went too far away from me since he didn't want another moment alone with Hope, who seemed to be more relaxed.

 

“You know, it's a pity the rest of our friends were busy tonight, this is getting good after all.”

 

Andre told me with a big smile on his face. That moment he mentioned them, I wondered how Jade and Cat were doing, especially Jade. If I didn't knew them I'd probably thought Jade was going to kill Cat, because we know how Cat is sometimes. I didn't have time to think anymore since I saw a smiling Shawn Quincy walking towards us. Andre grabbed my arm and I could tell he was nervous, and honestly I was too. The older man was quite nice, he congratulated us about our performance and asked us to sing again. We agreed right away and run to the stage, when we felt the floor was moving dangerously, and I froze.

 

“Earthquake!” Andre shouted, giving the alarm. “Everybody be careful and cover your head!”

 

“Everybody get down! I don't have insurance!” The owner of the restaurant screamed.

 

The crowd obeyed him, me included, and I could feel the panic rising among the restaurant. I quickly covered my head under the counter, eyeing Andre as he did the same but under a table near the stage, and noticed my body was shaking. If I say I wasn't terrified, I'd be lying. Everybody was trying to cover their heads except Hope, who was at the door looking everywhere.

 

“Protect my birthday presents!” She screamed, clearly not worried about her security. “Somebody protect my b--” She couldn't finish since a giant sign hit her head, and she fell down.

 

The earth stopped shaking, and I looked at Andre, who was showing an amused smile on his face at the image of an unconscious Hope. He had his reasons though. After a few seconds of keeping still making sure the was no more quaking, we got up and I went right next to Andre, who put one of his hands on my shoulder, trying to calm both me and himself down.

 

Shawn Quincy called the ambulance and they arrived in a few minutes, taking Hope with them and saying she was going to be fine. The older man asked us to sing again, but Andre could tell I was still in shock because of the earthquake, so he politely denied his request, asking him for some minutes so we could relax a bit. I'm really thankful for having Andre by my side, he is so caring and understanding with me, and can easily tell when I'm having a bad time. We went out of the restaurant to breathe some fresh air, when suddendly Andre came up with something.

 

“Now things are more relaxed, I'm going to call my grandma. She knows what to do in this kind of situations, so she should be fine, but you know, just in case.”

 

Then the realization hit me. My family. My friends. Jade. I had been so scared I had forgotten about them. I took my phone out of my purse, wanting to call my mother first, but I saw twenty missed calls from Cat and it was still ringing, so this time I picked it up.

 

“Cat! Are you and J--?”

 

“Vega! Don't you know how to pick up your fucking phone?” Jade's angry voice was heard on the phone.

 

“Jade? But isn't this Cat's phone…?”

 

That was when I heard the redhead's voice talking next to Jade. “It is! Jade was worried and wanted to call you so bad she picked the first phone she saw, and it was mine!” I felt my heart stopped at her comment.

 

“Shut up Cat! That's not true!” Jade intervened. “I just called to see if Vega had been scared of the earthquake so I could make fun of her!”

 

“Sure, Jade.” A weak smile appeared on my face. I knew Cat was right, and Jade did too. She was worried about me, and that made me really happy. “Don't worry, I'm fine. We're fine.” I said as I saw Andre walking towards me, I assumed he finished talking with his grandma.

 

“Where are you?” Jade asked with bad hidden concern.

 

“We're at Nozu, at Andre's girlf--”

 

“I'll pick you up in fifteen minutes. Be ready. Just you.”

 

“But Jade!” Too late, she had already hung up. I looked guiltily at Andre, who had heard everything.

 

“It's okay, I can sing without you.” He gave me a reasurring smile. “I only have one condition. When we both have time, I'll go to your house and you'll have to explain me how you're suddenly friends with Jade. And by the way, it's ex-girlfriend.”

 

“Deal.” I answered and hugged him. This boy is really the best friend ever.

 

I still had to call my family, so that was what I did. Fortunately, my parents were alright. They were at the hospital taking care of an injured Trina – because of all her fights with Shawn Quincy's security guard, I suppose – and she was, well, injured but fine.

Jade arrived in fifteen minutes as she said. Andre waved his hand at her, and she mimicked his gesture as I got into the car. She was silent as she drove down the street, and I broke the ice.

 

“So… why did you came for me?”

 

“Because I wanted to.”

 

“It looks like someone was worried about me.” I teased her.

 

“Vega.” Jade warned. “Don't push it.”

 

“As you want.” I said, still with a teasing smile on my face. “Where are we going anyway?”

 

“Is someone at your place?”

 

“No, my parents are at the hospital with Trina.”

 

“Then we're going there. I'd ask what happened to your sister, but I don't care to be honest.”

 

“I knew that.” We drove without saying anything else until we arrived to my house, and once we were inside just when I shut the door closed, Jade suddenly pulled me into a hug. It was so aggresive yet protective, like if she was craving for it.

 

“Jade…?” I mumbled.

 

“It's insane how much I wanted to do this. I hate it.”

 

I hugged her back, my head ending on her shoulder, feeling safe and comfortable. I never thought I'd use those adjectives to describe how I felt towards Jade.

 

“I was worried about you too.” I said in a whispear, knowing she wanted to express her feelings through that hug.

 

“At least I'd have picked up the phone, I got madder everytime you didn't. I don't know how I'd have reacted if… if…” I felt how her body tensed up.

 

“If something happened to me. Neither I. But I'm okay, everyone is okay.” I tried to sound relaxed, but I wasn't used to worried Jade. To any Jade who wasn't her gank one, to be honest. She nodded, and slowly pulled back.

 

“Did the earthquake scare you?” Jade teased then, sitting on the couch.

 

“It didn't.” I lied, crossing my arms.

 

“You should learn how to lie.”

 

“I'm not lying! Besides, you weren't there.”

 

“Andre was.”

 

“You didn't talk to him.”

 

“Beck did.”

 

“What?”

 

“Since you didn't know how to answer your phone, Beck called Andre, and they spoke at the same time you and I did. He said you were close to having a panic attack.” She smirked.

 

“That… I'm going to punch him next time I see his face!”

 

“Oh my godness, I'm Sweet Sally Peaches and I'm so brave I'm afraid of an earthquake!” Jade said using the accent she always used to mock me.

 

“I… I don't talk like that!” I shouted. “And what's the problem if I was scared? Come on, laugh at me!”

 

“Chill, Vega. I won't deny it's tempting, but I'm not that bad.” I rised an eyebrow. “Not now, I mean. I only wanted to see if you'd lie to me. And you did.”

 

“I didn't want you to make fun of me.” I mumbled, a little embarrassed.

 

“Jesus, Vega. You were being a drama queen nearly a week ago because I wasn't nice to you, and now that I am… ” I coughed. “… well, trying to be nicer, you still don't trust me.”

 

I gave a deep sigh and sat on the couch next to her. “Okay, I'm sorry. But, as you, I'm also getting used to this. I'm noy saying I dislike it, it just… I don't know. Feels different?”

 

“It does.” She smiled and so did I. We stood there, sitting on my couch looking at each other. I couldn't deny how beautiful was. Her raven hair with green streaks fell down her shoulders, contrasting with her pale delicate skin. The more I kept looking at her, the faster my heart went without reason. I didn't know why, but I felt like I had to say something before that became a quite awkward moment, and Jade was staring at me so intensely I felt a bit nervous.

 

“So… did you have fun hanging out with Cat?”

 

“Kinda.” Once the awkwardness was gone, Jade put her feet on my lap and told me everything that happened to her while she was with Cat, and how they reacted to the earthquake. Apparently it was quite entertaining, and Robbie and Beck ended up going with them too.

 

“So you broke the guitar, the lamp and the table of the boss of Cat's mom?”

 

“It was Robbie's fault! The second time at least.”

 

“Yeah, yeah. And did you fix everything?”

 

“The situation, yes. The broken furniture, no.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“We blamed the earthquake, and he believed us.”

 

“You were lucky then.” I scoffed. I wanted to talk to her about that fake date thing she posted on the slap now she was in a good mood, but without her getting mad. Difficult task.

 

“So… what did Beck say when he saw you there?”

 

“He was surprised and asked me what I was doing there.” She answered, visibly annoyed. “Why did you bring this topic to the conversation anyway?”

 

I took a deep breath. _Here we go._ “Please don't get mad.”

 

“I'll try my best. Go ahead.” Jade said, raising an eyebrow in curiosity.

 

“I don't think posting that on the slap was the best idea. If you and Beck aren't together anymore, there's no need to. I know the relationship between you two had been a long one and getting over it isn't easy, but that's not the best way to do it.” I looked at Jade with fear, who surprisignly, didn't look angry.

 

“I know that. I just don't want him to know I'm having a bad time, and maybe piss him off a bit.” She admitted. “I'm not his girlfriend anymore, so as the rest of people including the gang, maybe except Cat and you, I won't let him know I'm having a hard time getting over him. If he thinks I'm moving on, maybe he'll do the same, and that's what I want.”

 

I nodded in understandment. As I suspected, she wanted to piss Beck off, but I didn't expect the second part of her explanation. She did care about him after all, not as a boyfriend, but as a good friend instead. Maybe the same way I look at Andre. Jade wanted Beck to move on with his life, no matter what she did.

 

I also smiled unconciously at certain words she said. _Maybe except Cat and you._ She let me know she wasn't okay. Did Jade consider me a friend? She always made clear she didn't want anyone to refer to us as friends, but we haven't talked about it since that moment in the janitor's closet.

 

“You know, I'm glad you care about Beck.” I started. “But you should care about yourself too. You also need to move on and get over him. You know I'm here and I want to help you.” After she heard my words, Jade showed me a really relieved and sincere smile, and I felt my heart melting on my chest. God, she was so beautiful.

 

“You're hopelessly stubborn, Vega.” She said, mantaining that smile on her face. “Don't change.”

 

I could now understand better Jade's way of expressing her feelings. She didn't want me to treat her in a different way now we were… kinda friends. She wanted everything to stay like it had always been, but with us being closer. I was definitely going on with it.

 

“I won't.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i don't know if putting this is necessary since the song belongs to the show but i'll do it anyway  
> the song Tori and Andre sang is "Countdown" by Leon Thomas III and Victoria Justice


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the only relevant thing i have to say in this update is that rating might change in the future  
> and now as i always say, enjoy the chapter and i'll be grateful if you leave kudos and comments!

**Jade's pov**

 

Stupid Vega, always dragging me into stupid things with that stupid face of her I can't deny anything to. At first, my plan was to breathe the soul of a dead actress – as weird as it sounds –, and I ended up giving Vega and Cat a two hour drive to San Diego. Why? Because Vega told me so. I could say no to a crying Cat, but for some reason I don't want to know, I couldn't say no to a desperate Vega. I won't ever admit this, but Vega has a golden heart, and as soon as Cat began to cry, I saw her face going softer. It seems like she didn't care too much about their boring science project when she told me to drive two fucking hours.

 

“Just drive the child to San Diego!” She screamed at me.

 

“Alright!” I screamed back, defeated.

 

I couldn't say no, the words came out of my mouth and I couldn't stop them. You know, I really like angry Vega, but it didn't feel like it was the right moment to fight with her like we always did, and Cat was also there. So I just went along with it, and drove the two entire hours.

 

The night sucked, to be honest. It was raining half of the journey, a demented clown tried to get into the car, and the dead actress wasn't actually dead, because Cat didn't know how to inform herself properly. That night at my house, I saw in the news the actress' house was on fire, possibly because of the candle Cat left there. Her and Vega would probably feel awful when they saw this. Fortunately for them, the old actress was alive. Injured, yes, but alive.

 

Back in my house, I had a shower and lyed on my bed. It had been like a week since I broke up with Beck, and surprisingly, I wasn't as bad as I thought I would be. And that was thanks to Vega, no matter how many times I tried to denied it to myself. She could always tell when I wasn't feeling well, and even offered me going to her house when I was having a hard moment instead of skipping class with me. I ended up getting used to her company, and it wasn't as awful as I thought it would be at first, Vega always had something planned to do, and even if I mocked her about her cheerfulness, I had fun with her.

 

But it also made me feel afraid. I felt like I started to crave her company, her in general. Even now, I was feeling kind of alone without her, but I would never let her know. I had let her in enough for then, and this getting along thing had been both hard and new for me. I had never worried that much about her before, or needed her that much. Those feelings towards Vega had been there for a lot of time, but now they were out and growing excessively fast, and that really scared the shit ouf of me. I've always known I don't really hate her, but she always made me go mad at her being miss little perfect. Since she joined Hollywood Arts without even having the previous audition like everyone else, taking every lead role in all plays and being admired by everyone.

 

Honestly, at first I had no intention of being her friend, but she kept trying. My response? I tried and tried to push her away because she was always getting on my nerves, but slowly started to like her. I liked that she kept trying, so I just played along with it, trying not to open too much, but failing at it at certain moments. I enoyed our dynamic, so just left everything like it was, partly because messing with her was way more fun than being nice.

 

_It's fine, no one knows about that. Only her._

 

I was starting to feel way too comfortable when I was with her, and I wasn't sure if leaving those feelings grow was the right thing to do, but I didn't want to think about it that moment, I had better things to do than having Vega on my mind, like sleeping for example. So that was what I did.

 

Next morning, I was surprisingly in a good mood, so I quickly got dressed and drove to school, arriving just in time to buy my morning coffee and run to Sikowitz's class. During the lesson, I caught Vega staring at me a few times, and only smirked in response thinking how many times I was going to remind her that only to embarass her. After class, I went to my locker and overheard Andre and Tori talking about meeting after class or something like that, and I payed more attention.

 

“You have to update me! Remember what I told you at Nozu that night, we have a deal.”

 

“I do, I do. We can go somewhere to eat and then I'll tell you everything at my place, okay?”

 

“Perfect.” Andre winked at Tori, and I had to admit I was then a bit curious about their little secret. Since when was I interested in Vega's things? I don't know. I got even more flustered about that being nicer to Tori thing, because I now we were in the getting to be friend phase, that made me started to care about her. I hated to admit I wanted to know more about her, but couldn't avoid it.

 

“Hi Jade!” Cat screamed behind me, and I jumped in surprise.

 

“What?!” The little redhead flinched, making me sigh and calm down inmediately, speaking in a softer way. “Hi Cat.”

 

She the relaxed and smiled goofily again. “Wanna do something today?”

 

“Yeah, I guess.”

 

“I asked Tori and Andre but it seems like they're busy today, and I haven't seen Beck and Robbie since we--”

 

“Wait.” An idea popped in my mind then. “I'll hang out with you today if you do something for me.”

 

“Is it something dangerous or illegal?” I saw fear in her eyes.

 

“It's not. Listen, I want you to ask Tori and Andre what are they gonna talk about today, and then tell me.”

 

“But what if they don't want me to know?”

 

“Just go and ask.”

 

“Kay kay!” I knew they most probably weren't going to tell Cat the truth, but I had to try. Cat went near Andre who was alone at his locker, and I wondered where did Tori go.

 

“Jade.”

 

“What?!” Again, a voice sounded near me and I turned around, seeing concerned chocolate eyes staring at me.

 

“Did something happen?”

 

“No, no. It's okay.” It seems like today everyone was trying to give me a heart attack. “What do you want?”

 

“Just wanted to check if you were okay since you can't come to my house today in case you feel bad.”

 

“I'm fine, don't worry. I'm in a good mood today actually.”

 

“I'm really glad.” The smile Tori showed then made me feel something in my chest, but I ignored it. “Just call me if you need something instead of showing up at my place, okay?”

 

“Yeah, yeah.” I answered nonchalantly, and felt very thankful to see Cat coming back. “See you, Vega.” The brunette waved me a hand, and I smirked at her just before grabbing Cat's wrist and dragging her outside school.

 

“So?” I ask more impatiently than I wanted once we were at our usual table, relieved only the two of us were there.

 

“What?”

 

“What did Andre say?”

 

“Oh! They're gonna talk about you.”

 

“W-- about me? Explain.”

 

“Andre said you recently started acting friendlier with Tori, which is true by the way di--”

 

“Cat.”

 

“Anyway he was curious about that and wanted to talk with Tori about it, so thats what's their afternoon meeting is gonna be about.”

 

“Vega…” I murmured. It wasn't really her fault Andre noticed my attitude towards her had changed, but I told Vega not to tell anyone about our little talk in her house the night Beck and I split, and I swear she was going to regret if she did tell him.

 

_Maybe this whole thing was a mistake. Maybe I shouldn't have opened to her. Maybe I shouldn't have gone to her house. Maybe--_

 

“Jade?” Cat mumbled next to me. “Weren't we going to hang out? I did what you asked me.”

 

 _Calm down Jade._ I took a deep breath. _There's no reason to freak out._ If Tori told him, she'll regret it and whatever was growing between us would come to an end. Still, I couldn't understand why I was so upset about that.

 

_You're afraid she'll break your trust, you don't want to keep her away anymore._

 

“Shut up!”

 

“But I didn't say anything!” Cat said, quite confused. I couldn't believe I just shouted to my own thoughts.

 

“Ugh. Forget that. Meet me here after class and we'll go to my place.”

 

“Kay kay!” Just after that, the rest of them sat with us, chatting happily about their plans, and I gave Vega cold glares, but she didn't seem to notice because she was too excited talking about whatever with Andre. The rest of our morning went on as normal as usual, and at the end of school, Cat was patiently waiting for me in the parking lot, and we went into the car as I saw Tori and Andre near his car from the corner of my eye. Ignoring the fact that I felt a hint of nervousness, I drove to my house listening to Cat's brother stories, finally arriving at my place. Once in my room, Cat jumped onto my bed and went on with whatever she was talking about, but I wasn't really paying attention.

 

“Jade?” She asked, tilting her head.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“I asked you why are you acting better towards Tori.”

 

“Why do you want to know?”

 

“I got curious too. And I like it.”

 

I groaned. “I'm just in a better mood recently, and she's being less annoying than usual.”

 

“Just that?”

 

“Just that. What did you expect?”

 

“I don't know. I thought maybe you two had finally become friends.”

 

“We're very far from friends.” I scoffed, lying shamlessly.

 

“I won't loose hope!”

 

“Yeah Cat, whatever.” In moments like that I remember why Cat is my best friend. I'm sure she knew that was a lie, but didn't ask more about it. The little redhead isn't as dumb as everyone thinks she is, and knows how to make me feel better, not always, but most of the time. We spent the rest of the afternoon chatting about trivial things, and when it got darker I drove Cat home. On my way back I saw Vega's house, where I spotted Tori saying goodbye to Andre, and I seriously considered stopping by and demanding Vega for answers, but I thought about it twice. If I showed up at her house now, she'd probably think I was stalking her or something like that. My eyes widened at the thought. Since when did I care about the impression Vega had of me? I groaned and drove back home before I did something I could regret.

 

“You got lucky I was in a good mood Vega, but tomorrow, I swear you'll give me answers.”

 

Next morning, I spotted Vega when she was by her locker, grabbed her wrist and directed us to the janitor's closet, pulling her inside quite aggresively even for me. Tori didn't complain – something I was surprised about – until her back crashed against the wall. I instantly felt bad when I heard a slight crack, but hid my concern.

 

“Ouch! What's wrong with you?”

 

“What did you tell Andre?”

 

“What are you talking about?”

 

“Andre wanted to know why I'm being nicer to you, right?”

 

“How do you know that?”

 

“Right?” I insisted.

 

“Well, yes. So?”

 

“What did you tell him?”

 

“Why are you so interested in that?”

 

“Vega.” She sighed in defeat, and looked at me with… tenderness?

 

_She knows what I'm worried about._

 

“I didn't tell him about what happened the night you and Beck split.”

 

“Then?”

 

“I told him we kinda had a talk about our… whatever this is.” She gestured between us. “And that you told me you'd try to be nicer. Which is the truth… sort of.”

 

“Nothing more?”

 

“Nothing more.”

 

I felt like a weight was lifted off my chest, and my body relaxed. And then it came, that feeling of guilt. I was so mean to her without even knowing anything about what did she say. That tender look was still in Tori's face, and it didn't help to make me feel better. She didn't told Andre, her best friend, the person she told everything, the entire truth about our new… kind of relationship thing, because I told her not to do so. And I distrusted her and hurt her physically – not on purpuse, but I did – and probably emotionally too. The Jade from one week ago would've got mad and leave her in the closet, but now I couldn't do that. I couldn't leave her with that look in her face. I just couldn't.

 

“Look Vega, I…”

 

“You don't have to say anything. I told you, you can trust me.”

 

I wanted to say I felt horrible. But words didn't came out of my mouth.

 

“Now can you take me to the nurse? My back really hurts.” Tori asked with a weak cry.

 

“Sure.” I took a deep breath and went back to my usual self, walking down the school hall with a very annoyingly kind singer. Once in the nurse's office, we discovered Tori's back had a medium sized bruise on her back, near her right shoulder.

 

“What happened?” The nurse asked with a concerned look.

 

“I… accidentally fell down.”

 

“I see. This isn't very serious, so you should be fine as long as you take care of your back. Try not to… accidentally fall down anymore.” The nurse then put a bandage on Tori's bruise – which wasn't necessary by the way, but it was too big for putting just a plaster – and smiled at her.

 

“Thank you.” Tori said then, slightly groaning from the pain. “Could you please talk to our teacher and tell him we couldn't come to class 'cause we were here?”

 

“Sure kid.”

 

Once we were out of the school, we sat on our usual table waiting our skipped lesson to end so we could see the rest of the gang. I was silent, still feeling the guilt in my chest, fighting the apology that wanted to come out of my mouth, but loosing at it.

 

“Vega.”

 

“Yes?”

 

“Listen, uh, I'm… I'm sorry about the bruis--”

 

“You're apologizing?”

 

“Yeah, and I don't do it very often so you better not interrupt me again.”

 

“Sorry. Go on.”

 

“Good. As I was saying, I'm really sorry for the bruise, I was angry and didn't think clearly.” I thought Tori was going to scream and tell me I was a horrible person – which I was – but she just nodded. I was confused. “Aren't you mad at me?”

 

“I'm not. I know you were angry, and now you're apologizing. So it's okay.”

 

And I was speechless. I would shove scissors in my eyes before saying this out loud, but what did I do to deserve this ball of kindness called Tori Vega?

 

“Why are you like this?”

 

Tori gave me a confused look. “Like what?”

 

“I screamed, got angry and even physically hurt you, and you're not even a little mad?”

 

“Jade, I've told you this before. I know you're trying to be less mean to me, and I can tell you really are. Right now I could scream at you, go and tell the nurse you're the cause of my bruise and run to class, but I'm here with you because I saw you were hurt, and when you apologized I knew I did the right thing. You don't have to worry about any of this.”

 

And then, she smiled. And oh my god I'm sure I wasn't thinking properly because the smile she gave me was adorable. Yeah, adorable. Tori was turning me into a sappy mess, and the more I kept looking at her, the less painful everything felt.

 

Luckily for me, the bell rang and in matter of minutes the rest of the gang were sitting with us, asking where have we been. Tori told them the same excuse she had used with the nurse, giving me a reassuring smile when no one was looking. Lunch passed really fast, and we soon went to our last lessons of the day. I spent them with my mind on the clouds anyway, thinking about certain stupid but really tender brunette singer. Once our morning had finished, I saw Tori picking things in and out of her locker at a supernatural speed, and I put a hand on her healthy shoulder to grab her attention, but she didn't turn around even though she noticed someone was there.

 

“Are you in a hurry?” I asked, irony in my voice.

 

“If Trina gets to the car and I'm not there, she'll leave me here, and I'm not walking again.”

 

“No need to go with your gank of a sister. I'll give you a ride home.”

 

She inmediately stopped what she was doing, and turned around to look at me. “Really?”

 

“Yea-- don't give me that look.” I told her as I saw a goofy smile was appearing on her face.

 

“Thank you.”

 

“Shut up and let's go. I'm not Trina but I don't like waiting either.” Tori nodded and closed her locker, following me out of the school and getting into my car, carefully sitting in order not to hurt her back. Once we arrived to her house, she took out the seat belt and before she could open the door, I grabbed her wrist, but didn't look at her. It was like I wasn't controlling myself anymore.

 

“What is it? Beck again? Wanna come in?”

 

I thought about it before answering. “No. It's not Beck.” And that was true. With Tori around and mantaining my mind quite occupied, I didn't think about Beck. It still did hurt, yes, but the wounds were slowly and painlessly healing. “It's just… someone has to take care of your back, right? And I don't think Trina would be willing to do it.”

 

“Right.” She nodded. “And Trina actually worries about me, but not enough to loose her precious afternoon taking care of her little sister.”

 

We both jumped out of the car then, and entered in her house, a house I was getting used to be in, and it was a good feeling. Victoria Vega was healing my wounds, she truly cared about me, and letting her doing it was, even if I didn't say it out loud, one of the best things I've ever felt.


End file.
